AFL up for more trading periods
THE AFL says stories such as Marlion Pickett’s stunning elevation to Grand Final heroics will inspire it to add more midseason trade and draft periods.
The league is intent on introducing greater player movement as rival sports across the world boast multiple trade periods each year that draw big fan interest.
The AFL labelled the recent 10-day trade period as the perfect length despite widespread discontent at the lack of early trades.
AFL football operations boss Steve Hocking said yesterday he was still keen to strongly consider a mid-season trade period despite the league delaying its introduction until 2021.
Hocking said mid-season draftees such as Richmond’s Marlion Pickett and Collingwood’s John Noble almost instantly showed they could pick up game plans despite club concerns about the sharing of intellectual property and the struggles of players to adjust to the AFL.
“What we are looking to move towards is greater movement of players,” he said.
“Marlion Pickett and Will Snelling and John Noble, they are great examples of players like that.
“For me, one of my major concerns is it was so locked into almost like an elite player system. If you don’t come through that you can’t play AFL.
“While I am in the chair there is no way known I will support that.
“The game should be available for everybody and if you are good enough, no matter where in the season you drop into that.
“People were saying Pickett and Noble couldn’t be parachuted into the season and make an impact.
“All of them ended up playing and not only playing but playing in finals and, in one case, a Grand Final.”
A mid-season or pre-season trade period means clubs who lost players in a pre-season could instantly recruit for needs.
Clubs were worried about sharing their intellectual property if a player moved to a key rival before Round 1.
They were also concerned about the welfare of moving players and their families across the country at little notice.
Meanwhile, Hocking says there will be no move to shorten the trade period despite several dead days in the middle of the 10-day period as clubs postured.
“There is a bit of noise out there that it should be reduced but there is a growing appetite for it,” he said.
“I reckon 10 days is about right and that is book ended with commentary either side of that.
“It can be a slow burn for a couple of days but most of the commentary was pretty impressive with the depth of knowledge across the platforms.”
BELL Park has suffered a blow, with star midfielder Nik Rokahr signing at Norwood in the SANFL after a dazzling GFL season.
Rokahr, who joined the Dragons this year from the Shepparton Bears, made such an impression in his 10 GFL matches he finished runner-up in the club’s best-and-fairest award.
“The decision to come to South Australia was based on wanting to test myself in one of the best state leagues in Australia,” Rokahr told the Norwood website yesterday after his move was made official.
“Sitting down and speaking to ‘Cotts’ (senior coach Jarrod Cotton) and ‘Rossy’ (football operations manager Mark Ross), they were both open and welcoming and gave me a sense of inclusiveness as a club.
“That’s something that really stood out and gave me a warm feeling, being part of a club with a strong culture.
“I hope to bring a number of skill-sets to the club, but in particular I hope to play a role and achieve the ultimate success of winning a premiership in season 2020.”
The Redlegs said the 24year-old’s “hard tackling and versatility” made him a prized pick up. Rokahr was also on Geelong’s VFL list and played for Vic Country this year.
“He is a real competitor who is entering the prime of his career, and we are excited about what he can achieve in the coming years,” Ross said.
“Nik can play a variety of roles for us and as his CV shows, he gives us another dimension heading into the 2020 season.”